English club: Crime and Justice

Behind every great fortune there is a crime.
Honore de Balzac (1799 — 1850)

Good day to you, dear fellows. During our next session of the English club (“the first rule of the English club is there is no English club”) on January, 26 at 2pm Moscow time sharp, which happens thanks to https://lingvistov.ru/, we are going to discuss the topic of “Crime and Justice”. So for you to prepare for the discussion here are some of the questions we are going to cover during the club, as well as a few useful links, additional information and vocabulary.

 Questions:

1. Do you always lock your house? What about your car? Do you know about countries or any places where people do not lock their cars or houses? In the past.
2. Have you (or anyone you know) been the victim of a crime? What happened?     
3. Have you ever witnessed a crime? If you ever did, would you help?
4. What makes some people become criminals? Is it poverty, upbringing, lack of education, unemployment or something else?
5. How have science and technology changed what crimes are committed? How about the way we solve them?
6. Do you agree that terrorism is the evil of the 21st century? What act of terrorism terrifies you most of all?
7. Why do you think that there have been so many school shootings at high schools in the United States?
8. Do you think it’s possible to prevent certain kinds of crimes? If so, which ones and how?
9. What do you think of the death penalty (capital punishment)? Life sentence (imprisonment)? Do you think that the death penalty would prevent crime in your country? Why or why not?

Dialogue to listen to on the topic “Types of Crime” (don’t forget to do the exercises): http://www.elllo.org/english/1101/1134-Rebecca-Crime.htm

Films to watch:

Lethal Weapon (1987) is an American buddy cop film (another films in the same genre are 21 Jump Street, Last Action Hero, Alien Nation, K-9, Starsky & Hutch etc.).  Here we find our favourite buddy tea: Mel Gibson’s suicidal firecracker Martin Riggs and Danny Glover’s aging family man Roger Murtaugh. The smash movie is sleek, stylish, and practically nonstop action – to watch online: http://watch32.com/movies-online/lethal-weapon-491

 

We need to talk about Kevin (2011) is based on the Lionel Shriver’s novel. The film focuses on the issue of school shootings in the USA and speaks about a mother who struggles to come to terms with her son and the murders he has committed – to watch online: http://watch32.com/movies-online/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-803

 

Books you might be interested in reading:

“Secret Adversary” and “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” by Agatha Christie: http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/agatha-christie.shtml

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/arthur-conan-doyle/adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-hci.shtml

Fun facts:

• China is the source of 70% of the world’s pirated goods.
• Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England, but only in tropical fish stores.
• Former enemies, America and Russia now have a great deal in common — they both lead the world in locking people up.
• In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but may only do so with her bare hands.
• In Alaska, it is legal to shoot bears. However, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.
• Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
• If a surgeon in Ancient Egypt lost a patient while performing an operation, his hands were cut off.

Words and expressions:

capital punishment – высшая мера наказания, смертная казнь

confinement – тюремное заключение

to confine – заключать в тюрьму

to mug – нападать с целью ограбления

to rob – обворовывать, грабить

to shop-lift – воровать товары из магазина

corporal punishment – телесное наказание

case by case – в индивидуальном порядке; по каждому отдельному пункту

eye for eye – око за око

moot point – вопрос, о котором спорить бесполезно

Signed, sealed and delivered — подписано, скреплено печатью и вручено

Justice is served – Правосудие восторжествовало

bribery — взяточничество

misdemeanor – плохое поведение; малозначительное преступление

felony — уголовное преступление

arson — поджог

burglary — кража со взломом

domestic abuse — насилие в семье

embezzlement — присвоение чужих денег или имущества

forgery – фальсификация, подделка денежных документов

human trafficking — работорговля

kidnapping — похищение

larceny – кража, похищение имущества

manslaughter — непредумышленное убийство

stalking – домогательство, преследование

treason – государственная измена

bodily injury – телесное повреждение, физическое увечье

armed robbery – вооруженное ограбление

criminal trespass — преступное посягательство (на лицо, закон, принцип, права)